tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46892324532464895562024-03-06T01:18:09.603-08:00Leah's Family TreeLeahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.comBlogger531125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-57886820096443621542017-07-01T20:00:00.000-07:002017-07-01T20:00:28.516-07:00Ancestors in Canada 150 Years Ago(This is part of the <a href="https://cpgreber.wordpress.com/2017/06/27/canadas-150th-genealogy-challenge/" target="_blank">Canada's 150th Genealogy Challenge</a>)<br />
<br />
3rd great-grandfather, Charles Stewart Wood: Charles was living in Ontario, likely in the South Dumfries, Brant County area. He was was 24 and likely working as a farm laborer on 1 July, 1867. He came to Ontario with his family (see Jane below) from County Cavan, Ireland around 1854. Charles left Canada for Michigan a few years after 1867, but returned (to British Columbia) and spent the last years of his life there, dying in 1918.<br />
<br />
3rd great-grandmother, Didame "Damie" Beam Wood: Damie was living in East Zorra, Oxford, Ontario, in 1867 and was 14 at the time. A native Ontarian, she later moved to Michigan with husband Charles (above), where she died in 1895.<br />
<br />
4th great-grandfather, Josiah Beam: Josiah was born in the US, likely Pennsylvania, in 1811. When he came to Ontario, I don't know, but he was there by 1838. Josiah was 55 and likely living in East Zorra working as a farm laborer in 1867. The last record I have found him in is the 1901 Census of Canada, still in East Zorra.<br />
<br />
4th great-grandmother, Susanna Horton Beam: Susanna was born in Ontario around 1817. I suspect she was the granddaughter of Butler's Ranger Edmond Horton (by way of his son Emmanuel), but have no definite proof as yet. She was around 50 and likely living in East Zorra in 1867. She died there in 1888.<br />
<br />
4th great-grandmother, Jane Montgomery/Gallagher Wood: Charles' mother, Jane had been widowed a few years prior to 1867. She was around 50 on 1 July, 1867 and likely living in South Dumfries. She lived in Ontario the rest of her life and died in Blenheim, Oxford County in 1893.<br />
<br />
It is entirely possible that, Josiah, Susanna, Jane, and Jane's deceased husband, Charles, had parents alive in Canada on 1 July 1867, but I have yet to find them.<br />
<br />
I'm also not including my Nova Scotia lines (Haley/Healey, Scott, Hilton, Ellis, etc.), as they had relocated to California before 1867. However, they had been in present-day Canada long before any of the other lines above.<br />
<br />
Happy Birthday, Canada!<br />
<br />Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-25309607405617663202017-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:002017-01-30T06:00:34.935-08:00Amanuensis Monday: Second Berger ReunionWhile browsing issues of <i>The Bremen Enquirer</i>, I found an article of particular interest. The "Michael and Frederica Berger" mentioned are my 3rd great-grandparents. I knew that they left a lot of descendants, and everyone mentioned is in my tree, but 226 attendees is shocking to me. <br />
<br />
I have to wonder if anyone from my branch was there as my ancestor, Michael and Frederica's son John, had left for California many years before. Since those who traveled a distance are mentioned, and doesn't include anyone from California, I have to think my branch was likely absent. I wonder if they even knew about this? <br />
<br />
It sounds like it was a wonderful reunion. I'd love to see a copy of the group picture mentioned and know what Miss Erma Lozier (later Roederer), the family historian, gathered on the family. I'm also curious if there were any other annual reunions. Thus far, I haven't found a mention of any in subsequent issues.<br />
<br />
"SECOND BERGER REUNION<br />
<br />
Was Occasion of a Large Gathering on Bremen Fair Ground Yesterday<br />
<br />
The second annual reunion of the Berger family, or to be more exact, that portion of the Berger family, descended from Michael and Frederica Berger, brought together on the Bremen fair ground yesterday a company numbering 226, most of them from this vicinity, but many from a distance. It was a typical family reunion, with a dinner ample for a regiment, music, some talks, a group picture, lots of visiting and a general good time.<br />
In a brief business session the following officers were elected:<br />
Henry Berger, president.<br />
Noah Lehman, South Bend, vice president.<br />
Miss Erma Lozier, secretary, treasurer and historian.<br />
Those present from a distance included:<br />
Michael Gingrich and daughter Alice, Reed City, Mich.<br />
Mrs. Philip Ewald and Mrs. Clem Ewald and baby, Abilene, Kansas.<br />
John Land, wife and baby and Mrs. Clinton Berger and children, Chicago.<br />
Jacob J. Berger sr., Elkhart.<br />
Otto Schwab, wife and baby, Noah Lehman, wife and son Joyce, Elmer Eslinger and wife, George Beyler, wife and son Otto, South Bend.<br />
Ulrey Weiss, wife and daughter Ida, Aaron, Charles and Jacob Weiss and their wives, Mishawaka.<br />
William Beyler and family, Plymouth.<br />
Rev. Philip Haney, wife and baby, Goshen.<br />
Charles Kline and family and Ervin Berger and family, Nappanee.<br />
Lawrence Conrad and wife, Bourbon."<br />
<br />
From <i>The Bremen Enquirer</i>, Bremen, Marshall, Indiana; 26 June 1913; page 1.<br />
<br />Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-77810723534604209842016-12-10T06:00:00.000-08:002016-12-10T06:00:04.085-08:00Surname Saturday: Caruso of Montgomery Co., PAI knew that since my great-grandmother chose to come to the US, it was possible that a sibling or two of hers might have as well. Unfortunately it has taken me awhile to find any of those elusive siblings. The ones I have found so far are 1) a brother who died in infancy, 2) a sister who disappears from records after birth, 3) a sister who remained in Italy and lived a long life and 4) a sister who married and also came to America.<br />
<br />
This sister who came to America was born Donata Maria D'Accia in Peschici, Foggia, Apulia, Italy on 19 April, 1883 (her death certificate gives a date of 17 March 1885, though Peschici records do not support this). Donata was likely named for her deceased brother, Donato Antonio Maria, and paternal grandmother, Donata Maria. <br />
<br />
Donata's parents, Michele Maria D'Accia and Maria Mattea Giovanna Di Milo were also Peschici natives and had married there in 1877. Michele was a "calzolaio" (shoemaker) who died in 1906. In 1909, Donata's mother re-married a man named Eduardo Buoncompagni.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bcPsRc-V_SsktDK0SPEAVdvZ6XsUCZvGSxfFcyI7LFju0s29atqripIGgCp4YOqKjtXkhyEiNKKLL_QlHWFBqsJYjHFplPEnbH4aVEaT7PoS5iWDz43FRZL6nTU2h0EPoaHMSuEwDas2/s1600/CarusoDAccia+marriage+excerpt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bcPsRc-V_SsktDK0SPEAVdvZ6XsUCZvGSxfFcyI7LFju0s29atqripIGgCp4YOqKjtXkhyEiNKKLL_QlHWFBqsJYjHFplPEnbH4aVEaT7PoS5iWDz43FRZL6nTU2h0EPoaHMSuEwDas2/s400/CarusoDAccia+marriage+excerpt.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excerpt from the <i>allegati</i> for <br />
Costanzo Caruso and Donata D'Accia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Donata married Costanzo Giovanni Caruso in Peschici in 1902. They had a son and daughter, but Costanzo left Italy in 1906. He arrived in New York on 3 April aboard the Citta Di Torino out of Naples. His destination was an uncle in Philadelphia. <br />
<br />
Donata and their children stayed behind in Peschici until 1910 when Donata also emigrated. She arrived in New York aboard the Duca D'Aosta but was detained for three days, being released to her husband on 25 November. Costanzo's address is given as Hoboken, New Jersey at the time. <br />
<br />
Their son, Salvatore, who remained with Costanzo's mother in Peschici, would arrive as an eleven-year-old in Philadelphia on 3 July, 1913 aboard the Taormina. His destination was Altoona, Pennsylvania. I have yet to find an arrival record for Donata and Costanzo's daughter, Maria.<br />
<br />
In the US, Donata and Costanzo had an additional six known children. In all:<br />
<ol>
<li>Salvatore, born 19 Feb 1902 in Peschici, he married and had children. Salvatore died in Lower Gwynedd Twp., Montgomery, Pennsylvania on 1 May 1964.</li>
<li>Maria (Mary), 20 Nov 1904 in Peschici, she married and had children. Maria died 11 Aug 1996 in Spring House, Montgomery, Pennsylvania.</li>
<li>Angelo, born circa 1912 in Pennsylvania. I have been unable to trace him following the 1920 US Census.</li>
<li>Michael Caruso, born about 1914 in Pennsylvania, he married and had children. Michael died 2 July 1987 in Norristown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania.</li>
<li>Nicholas Caruso, born 19 June 1916 in Ambler, he married and had children. Nicholas died 6 March 1951 in Norristown.</li>
<li>Louise Elizabeth Caruso, born 30 Nov 1917 in Ambler, She married and had children. She died 10 March 1994 in Palm Bay, Brevard, Florida.</li>
<li>Leo Caruso, born circa 1920 in Pennsylvania. I have been unable to trace him following the 1920 US Census.</li>
<li>Emma Caruso, born 16 Aug 1924 in Ambler. She married and died on 18 Dec 1959 in Philadelphia.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Donata, like my great-grandmother, does not appear to have learned English. She and Costanzo don't appear to have naturalized either. She died in Whitpain, Montgomery, Pennsylvania on 11 May 1940 and <a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28182031">was buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Nw_N9l1q1DxrfAGTeexuv1dUAkAB3RISHmaQITGEcS26nvr82EmdQox7hwbdQoMPGrckv4ekfercVageoWjUzmlhRiuxpJdtR5zWsdo8oOI9ey94sDCiKGqxteKkK1sVcnI57kdQuzcy/s1600/42342_2421406260_0681-00073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Nw_N9l1q1DxrfAGTeexuv1dUAkAB3RISHmaQITGEcS26nvr82EmdQox7hwbdQoMPGrckv4ekfercVageoWjUzmlhRiuxpJdtR5zWsdo8oOI9ey94sDCiKGqxteKkK1sVcnI57kdQuzcy/s400/42342_2421406260_0681-00073.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donata's death certficate from the state of Pennsylvania</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Since my great-grandmother lived in nearby Ohio, I wonder if she and Donata kept in touch. My great-grandmother's reputation as a difficult person, however, makes me doubt it.</div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-51424547877688626862016-12-05T06:00:00.000-08:002016-12-05T06:00:16.455-08:00Robert Allen's EstateI've yet to find estate paperwork for Robert, but a notice in the <i>Niles Daily Times</i>, page 18, dated 26 June 1935, tells me that there was an estate. It also helps me to fill in married names and addresses for some of my collateral Allen relatives at the time, and for that I am very happy.<br />
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"LEGAL NOTICE<br />
<br />
Lavina Allen, 27 Wells Street, Caro, Michigan; John Allen, State Penitentiary, Jackson, Michigan; Mrs. Anna Sheperdson, Wyman, Mi-chigan, George R. Allen, Taft, Ca-lifornia; Jane Allen Ott, 1107 Ne-ville Street, Follansbee, W. Virgin-ia, Jemia Jane Adams, 1107 Neville Street, West Virginia, Margaret Ann Smith, R.F.D. No. 1, Hagers-town, Maryland; Alice Ruth Shute, 1128 Neville Street, Follansbee, West Virginia and Charles William Allen, 1197 Neville Street, Follans-bee, West Virginia, will take notice that of the 14th day of June, 1935, the said D L Evans, as adminis-trator of the estate of Robert Allen, filed his petition in the Probate Court of Trumbull County, Ohio in Case No. 11762 against the above named parties and others, praying for an order directing him to sell the real estate of said Robert Allen with which to obtain funds to pay his debts.<br />
Said parties are required to answ-er on or before the first day of September, 1935.<br />
D L EVANS, Administrator, W F MacQueen, Atty.<br />
June 19, 26, July 3, 10, 17, 26, 1935."<br />
<br />
Since Robert died without a wife or living children, the heirs are all connected to Robert through his siblings. The first named is likely Lavinia Mary Beyett(e) Allen, the widow John Henry Willis Allen. John was a son of Robert's late brother, Joseph. John died only a month after Robert, in Caro.<br />
<br />
The next person is John Grant Allen, a brother of Robert's, and my 2nd great-grandfather. The State Penitentiary address makes me chuckle as it makes it seem John was a resident there, when in fact he was working as a guard.<br />
<br />
The following two were Anna Allen Shep(p)ardson and George Robert Allen, also children of Robert's brother Joseph. Jane (Reese) Allen Ott was a widow of another of Joseph's sons, Joseph Jr., who had died in 1917. I hadn't followed Jane after Joseph's death so her remarriage was a new piece of information to me. She married John H. Ott in Wellsburg, West Virginia in 1920. The last four people were Joseph and Jane's children, Jemima, Margaret, Alice and Charles.<br />
<br />
Since Robert died in 1932, I was a little surprised to find this notice over three years after his death. But, clearly, the administrator was having difficulties getting in touch with all of Robert's far-flung relatives. I'd still like to find the estate papers as I suspect the children of Robert's late brother, James, and his living sister, Mary C. Allen Evans, were heirs as well. Since that group remained in the Niles area, it probably wasn't necessary to include them in the Legal Notice.<br />
<br />
One thing I haven't cleared up is whether Robert had a familial connection with the administrator of his estate. Robert's sister, Mary, married into the Evans family, but the "D.L." initials don't fit for her husband or children.Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-47938698612474541152015-09-12T08:00:00.000-07:002015-09-12T08:00:02.211-07:00Barbara's EstateThe biggest surprise I've come across so far while looking through Ancestry's new collection of wills and probate records, was the 1886 will for my third great-grandmother, Barbara Steiner vonAllmen.<br />
<br />
Barbara's estate consisted of a $1,000 loan to her son, Joseph, and the interest it was accruing. What was so wonderful about the record for me, personally, was that it confirmed a lot of information I had long suspected, like the married names of two of her daughters, and the earlier death of one of them.<br />
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Barbara mentioned each of her <b>"<i>... beloved children Abraham Allmen, Maggie Maurer wife of Andy Maurer, Joseph Allmen, Susanah <strike>Allmen</strike> Berger wife of John Berger and the children then living of my daughter Mary Smith late of Vanderburgh County deceased.</i>"</b><br />
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One difference, I had Mary's married name as Schmidt, but it wasn't surprising that it was apparently Americanized to Smith.<br />
<br />
Barbara also had another child, Isaac, who had died without living issue before her will was written.<br />
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I descend from Barbara through her aforementioned daughter, Susanna vonAllmen Berger. At the time this was written, Susanna was living in Wabash County, Indiana and had recently had my great-grandfather.Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-27725249402336691052015-08-23T19:00:00.000-07:002015-08-29T18:55:55.332-07:00SNGF: Golden AnniversariesI'm a day late, but <a href="http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-golden.html">Randy at Genea-Musings picked an intriguing topic</a> for this week and I wanted to join the fun. As of now, these are my direct ancestors known to have been married fifty years or more:<br />
<br />
<b><i>John Grant Allen and Marion "Mary" Wood</i></b><br />
John and Marion married in 1890 in Blanchard, Isabella, Michigan. Marion died in 1944, which would have meant they were married over 54 years. However, they appear to have separated some time around 1930. I have been unable to find a divorce record for them, but they don't appear to have ever reconciled.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Giuseppe Lapiccirella and Maria Nicola D'Accia</i></b><br />
"Gio" and "Nicoletta" were married in Vieste, Foggia, Puglia, Italy in 1913. Gio's death in 1973 meant they were married about sixty years.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Josiah Beam and Susannah Horton</i></b><br />
Since I don't have a marriage date for them, this is calculated upon the birth date of their eldest child and assumes that they did actually marry before their eldest child was born. Their son, Daniel, was born between 1834 - 1838 Canada. In 1888, Susannah died in East Zorra, Oxford, Ontario, Canada, making them husband and wife for around fifty years.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Robert Rendle Croad and Susanna Tizzard</i></b><br />
They were married in Sydling St. Nicholas, Dorset, England in 1852. Robert's death in 1903 came soon after their fiftieth anniversary.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Heman Doyle Shinn and Emma Sophia Tock</i></b><br />
They were married in 1874 in San Joaquin Co., California. Apparently they had a very loving marriage until Emma's death in 1928, fifty-three years later.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Ebenezer Haley/Healy and Mary Lee Scott</b></i><br />
Ebenezer and Mary were married in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1832. Mary died sixty years later in 1893.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Niels Christian Nielsen and Engeline Christine Petersen</i></b><br />
Niels and Engeline were married in 1874 in Oak Harbor, Ottawa, Ohio. Engeline died in 1932 after fifty-seven years of marriage.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Henrich Michael Berger and (Elisabetha) Fredricka Matz</i></b><br />
Since I don't have a marriage date for them, this is calculated upon the birth date of their eldest child and assumes that they did actually marry before their eldest child was born. Their son, Michael, was born in 1808. Sixty years later, Fredricka died.<br />
<br />
As far as I know, none of these anniversaries received an newspaper article.Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-79375880509693535142015-06-13T05:00:00.000-07:002015-06-13T05:00:11.627-07:00Surname Saturday: Herbert?When I first became interested in genealogy, I began by looking through what I already had on hand. Among those items was my mother's copy of the book <a href="https://archive.org/stream/historyofshinnfa00shin#page/n9/mode/2up">The History of the Shinn Family in Europe and America</a>. While this is an excellent guidebook, it has errors, omissions and lack of source citations. The book also doesn't usually provide much information on spouses who married into the Shinn family.<br />
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One of those aforementioned spouses is my 5th great-grandmother, Jane Herbert.<br />
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<br />
<br />
Through research I do have some thoughts regarding Jane's family:<br />
<ul>
<li>Jane or her family might not have been Quakers. She might have been a member of the Baptist Church, which had a community in the area where she lived and some of her children were active members.</li>
<li>At one point Jane and her family lived in the Upper Freehold Twp. area of Monmouth County. Many Herberts also lived in that vicinity. I have combed Herbert probate records and found no obvious candidates. </li>
<li>Jane might not have been a Herbert from birth. Could she have married into the Herberts before marrying John?</li>
<li>Herbert might be a typo. I've found several neighboring families with similar names: Harbour, Herbin/Herpin and Harbert. A John Harbour living in Mansfield Twp. on a 1780 rateable list is especially intriguing. </li>
<li>Maybe Jane stayed behind. Branches of the Shinn family chose to leave New Jersey, why not the Herberts? One Harbert family went to West Virginia and it is likely others also went elsewhere, maybe Jane belongs to one of them.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I've been looking at tax and voter lists (census records don't exist for New Jersey before 1830) for both Burlington and Monmouth counties. There are some possible leads I've found, but also many frustrations. There are lots of New Jersey Shinns... lots and lots of Shinns... and every one of them had a John in their family (and usually a Jane too). And many of them lived within the same general vicinity.<br />
<br />
So, Jane might have been a Herbert, or a Harbert, Harbour, or something else entirely. In any case, she's in my family tree.</div>
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Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-85447058244721197872015-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:002015-02-15T15:24:10.730-08:00My Grandmother's DNAI have often heard that when it comes to DNA testing, older relatives should be the first priority. Unfortunately for me, by the time autosomal testing came around three of my grandparents were long gone. Fortunately for me, the one grandparent still around was also my link to my most frustrating to research families. Obviously, I should have tested her sooner than 2015 but regardless of when, the spit has officially been collected and processed.<br />
<br />
My grandmother was a bit bewildered when I presented the test to her on Christmas morning, but she was quite willing and I will be eternally grateful to her for it. After five of the longest weeks on record, her results were posted at the end of January. <br />
<br />
Before testing my grandmother, I was feeling pretty good about myself having around thirty-five matches in the "4th cousin or closer range." She has nearly 160 (and more all the time), including second and third cousin matches that didn't come up for me at all. Obviously my grandmother's percentage of relatedness accounts for her much larger pool of matches. Case in point, my grandmother's great-grandparents, all people she shares about 12.5% of her DNA with, as opposed to my roughly 3%:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>BERGER, Henrich Michael (1788-1871)</b> and <b>MATZ, Fredricka (Elisabetha) (ca. 1793-1868)</b>. Born in the Rinnthal area of the German Rhineland-Palatinate, they eventually settled in Marshall County, Indiana. Their son, John W. Berger, was born there in 1841 and died in Oakland, Alameda, California in 1891. <b>MATCHES:</b> I was really glad to see that my grandmother has a close match who was also a descendant of Michael and Fredricka. While the paper trail has always supported them being John's parents, the fact that Fredricka was nearly 48 when he was born has always given me pause. I feel like I can finally put my doubts to rest on this one.</li>
<li><b>vonALLMEN, Christian (1814-1887)</b> and <b>STEINER, Barbara (1822-1886)</b>. Born in Switzerland, they came to the US in the early 1840s. Their daughter, Susanna vonAllmen, was born in Olney, Richland, Illinois in 1849. The family relocated to Evansville, Vanderburgh, Indiana about five years later. Susanna died in Stockton, San Joaquin, California in 1932. <b>MATCHES:</b> My grandmother actually got several vonAllmen matches and matches with people from the same community in Switzerland as the vonAllmens. The early information I have on the vonAllmens, I received from another researcher. I'm glad to know that research appears to be pretty on point.</li>
<li><b>WELLONS, John Chapple (1805-1896)</b> and <b>HUDSON, Sarah Elizabeth (1816-1861)</b>. Born in Pulaski County, Kentucky, both of their parents were originally from Virginia. Their son, George Washington Wellons, was born in 1849. Not long after this the family moved, eventually ending up in Warren County, Iowa. George moved around a lot, finally settling with his family in Siskiyou County, California, where he died in 1932. <b>MATCHES:</b> The Hudson matches are many. She also has quite a few Wellons matches. Matches further back are a bit of a mystery still.</li>
<li><b>WEBB, Andrew J. (1820-1902)</b> and <b>MASON, Priscilla (1822-1863)</b>. Born in Indiana, I know very little about their parents (they all might have been in Kentucky prior to Indiana). Andrew and Priscilla's daughter, Mary Anna, was born in Lawrence County in 1862. A year later, Priscilla died. Andrew had a hard time settling anywhere for long, but eventually ended up in Siskiyou County, California where he died. Mary Anna died there also in 1926. <b>MATCHES:</b> Of all my grandmother's matches, the Masons are the most prevalent. I'm very glad of this because Priscilla is especially important to me, considering she is my mother's mother's mother's mother's mother. I would really like to make some headway with this line. Unfortunately, the matches' lines seem to be as mysterious as mine (and dead-end in roughly the same timeframe). My grandmother does seem to be closely related to the Masons who were early settlers in Sullivan Co., Indiana though. The Webbs are going to be a bit of work. I thought I had found the right family before testing my grandmother. However, her matches don't seem to be corresponding with that candidate family at all. Back to the drawing board!</li>
</ul>
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I tested my grandmother through AncestryDNA. I know of the big three (along with FamilyTreeDNA and 23andMe) tests, AncestryDNA isn't regarded very highly. While I completely agree with the criticism AncestryDNA gets, I chose it because of the huge pool of possible matches it offers as well as the great track record I have there when it comes to contacting matches. I have also uploaded her data to FamilyTreeDNA and GEDMatch (her kit number is A171694 for anyone who thinks they might be connected).<br />
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A nice bonus to testing my grandmother is that I am also able to learn more about my late grandfather's DNA. I was able to use GEDMatch's phasing program to create a profile for him. While it isn't a full profile (only what my mother inherited from him), it is a might more than I ever thought I'd have for someone who has been gone nearly fifteen years.</div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-51962337336349538322015-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:002015-01-18T08:00:01.910-08:00X-MatchesI've been concentrating on my possible x-matches a lot lately. After filling out a chart (<a href="http://debsdelvings.blogspot.com/2013/10/x-dna-inheritance-charts.html">I used the ones here</a>) to see what my inheritance pattern was, I've started whittling down the unlikely lines. By unlikely lines I mean those that haven't been in the US all that long, originated in small, rural localities in Europe, and/or were small families that didn't, to my knowledge, leave many descendants alive today. I'll revisit these lines somewhere in the future, but for now they are on the back burner.<br />
<br />
After all this, I am left with the lines that are likely candidates for an x-match. Since all these lines are through my mother, these percentages are based on her relatedness and not mine:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>EGBERTSE. Barbara or Barbary's son, William Lucius Rose, was married to the Charlotte Clara Smith below. I haven't don much research on this family, but I believe they were Dutch in origin, maybe with some French in there also. Barbara died in New York City in 1806. My mother's approximate percentage of inherited x chromosome DNA is 6.25%.</li>
<li>HUDSON. Daniel's mother was supposedly Nancy Harris. I have yet to do the research to confirm or discredit this. In any case, Daniel's daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Hudson, was my third great-grandmother. Daniel's family was originally from Virginia and came to Pulaski Co., Kentucky. Approximately 6.25% of my mother's x chromosome DNA is from Daniel and by extension, his mother.</li>
<li>LESTER. Mary (aka "Polly"), married to Daniel Hudson above, was born around 1787 in what is now Kentucky. I believe she was related to the Vincent Lester/Laster/Louster/Lister who came to the area from Virginia around the time Polly was born. Polly contributed around 6.25% of my mother's x chromosome DNA.</li>
<li>MASON. Priscilla, married to Andrew Webb below, was born around 1822 in Indiana. I believe Priscilla's parents were Samuel Mason and Nancy Moore who married in Wayne Co., Kentucky in 1806. My mother received approximately 6.25% of her x chromosome DNA from Priscilla.</li>
<li>SMITH. Sisters Mary Green and Charlotte Clara Smith each married and had children. Mary's son, Isaac Thomas Mott, married Charlotte's daughter, Mary Johanna Rose. Isaac and Mary had a daughter, Mary Gertrude Smith Mott, my third great-grandmother. Since I am doubly related my mother's approximate combined percentage inherited x chromosome DNA is 18.5% (12.5 from Mary, 6.25 from Charlotte). I don't know a lot about the origins of the Smith family. Mary and Charlotte's father, Thomas, was supposedly from Ireland and there is a rumor he changed his name, possibly from Douglas to Smith, when coming to North America. He lived in New York City and died there in 1791. Thomas' wife, Mary, might have been a Green before marriage. She was supposedly a Tory during the war (unlike her husband), which could mean English in origin. Mary re-married a William Fosbrook and died in New York City in 1820.</li>
<li>WEBB. Andrew's daughter, Mary Anna, was my mother's mother's mother's mother. I believe Andrew's mother was Martha Leet. Martha might have been related to the Joseph Leet who lived in the Warren Co. area of Kentucky. Andrew was born in 1820 in Orange Co., Indiana. Andrew and his mother contributed 6.25% to my mother's x chromosome DNA.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Not surprisingly most of my x-matches have roots in colonial Virginia and the Carolinas. So far I haven't been able to fit them in my tree, but I am seeing several surnames over and over again.</div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-23540723848676573632014-12-28T08:00:00.000-08:002014-12-28T08:00:06.208-08:00Charles' Last ChapterWhen I found my third great-grandfather's death record, I expected it to close the book on his story. I never thought it would be the gateway to an entire last chapter of his life. <br />
<br />
In looking for the death record, I searched British Columbia records. I know I did. Why I didn't come across this when I originally looked, I don't know. I suspect what happened is that, at the time, I still hadn't given up my belief that he had died in Michigan. So, anything less than an exact match anywhere else, was likely disregarded by me. <br />
<br />
In any case, Charles Wood died in Burnaby on 9 April 1918.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QtCH27Fa3mWCUtPJ_Yx_0shJMSh2Ym06w7S7Memzh4s_Wbh410fdkrvzwnNThp8iKq4pDXzr2E6RPspbl5HOunFJXYm9W81z79MDAThMfEx_GFmYRm4h3oI77nXbthGwlgexdqq5Egl9/s1600/Wood,+Charles+S.+DeathCert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QtCH27Fa3mWCUtPJ_Yx_0shJMSh2Ym06w7S7Memzh4s_Wbh410fdkrvzwnNThp8iKq4pDXzr2E6RPspbl5HOunFJXYm9W81z79MDAThMfEx_GFmYRm4h3oI77nXbthGwlgexdqq5Egl9/s1600/Wood,+Charles+S.+DeathCert.jpg" height="620" width="640" /></a></div>
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Everything on the record either matches or logically meshes with what I already have on Charles. Everything except one thing: Charles' mother is listed as Jane Galagher. Jane's maiden name is always listed as Montgomery on every other record I have for the Wood children, except one. That one being Jane's daughter's (Charles' sister who also lived in British Columbia) death record. That record also lists her maiden name as Gal(l)agher. In any case, the Gallagher/Montgomery mystery is something to explore.<br />
<br />
The informant on Charles' death record was his wife. His new, third wife, who was completely unknown to me before this record. "Mrs. L. Wood" was formerly Letitia Lowes from Emily, Victoria, Ontario. Letitia married Joseph Mills and they had several children. By 1891, the family had left Emily and were living in Broadview in what is now Saskatchewan. In 1901, Letitia is widowed and living with her married daughter in Winnipeg. In 1906, Letitia is back in Saskatchewan, Moosomin, with two of her children.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9cSc7t8tpNNsxvvyOYgFUbHcuyoWT_rYH2rGZFHOxWFAJOVCA_W_UZSpYLwCfXligjYYk0oJXWghmXv-EHiJIVDINUdUOAjD8z2dVqy3NKzFS6MiY2XkiHM0PpFr2vw2vUn6mIaqjD6N/s1600/Wood+Mills+Marriage+WinnipegTribune+22March1911+p5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9cSc7t8tpNNsxvvyOYgFUbHcuyoWT_rYH2rGZFHOxWFAJOVCA_W_UZSpYLwCfXligjYYk0oJXWghmXv-EHiJIVDINUdUOAjD8z2dVqy3NKzFS6MiY2XkiHM0PpFr2vw2vUn6mIaqjD6N/s1600/Wood+Mills+Marriage+WinnipegTribune+22March1911+p5.jpg" height="188" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marriage Notice from <i>The Winnipeg Tribune</i><br />22 March, 1911, page 5</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Letitia went back to Winnipeg when she married Charles Stewart Wood there on 17 March 1911. Apparently the man who married them was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Connor">a famous author and Church leader.</a> A C. S. Wood had arrived in Emerson, Manitoba from Michigan the day before. I'm inclined to believe this is Charles, but there aren't enough details to know for sure.<br />
<br />
They left Winnipeg very soon after the marriage and they were enumerated in British Columbia on June 7 or 8, 1911. They would move again, but not far, and Charles eventually retired from farming. Charles was a Mason and was buried in the Masonic section of Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver. I wonder if any of his children back in Michigan made it to his funeral...<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ipuAzHYuBSg01LSpWdwSL33P-DTcdFXAV_XA6nBbgJh_kcz8LKS67GtZPFSRQMdqWuApx1Y4bx_Kv5xEe5UqqMsxS9KXFl_tznAdvA4h1PbXM1iixaLOXt0_LnbsxASfcUB0hD76ndah/s1600/Wood,+Charles+S.+VancouverDailyWorld+11Apr1918+p12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ipuAzHYuBSg01LSpWdwSL33P-DTcdFXAV_XA6nBbgJh_kcz8LKS67GtZPFSRQMdqWuApx1Y4bx_Kv5xEe5UqqMsxS9KXFl_tznAdvA4h1PbXM1iixaLOXt0_LnbsxASfcUB0hD76ndah/s1600/Wood,+Charles+S.+VancouverDailyWorld+11Apr1918+p12.jpg" height="120" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funeral Notice from the <i>Vancouver Daily World</i>,<br />11 April, 1918, page 12</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Letitia was still at their Imperial St. home in 1921 where she was living with her daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter. She died in Vancouver in 1944.<br />
<br />
In my mind, I had created a picture of Charles quietly spending his last days in rural Michigan, where he had lived more than a quarter of a century. However, in hindsight, Charles' early life might be a clue as to his apparent lifelong restlessness. After leaving Ireland for Ontario as a youth, he continually moved between Canada and Michigan before finally putting down roots in Isabella Co. in the mid-1880s, that is until 1911.<br />
<br />
Something else I've noticed is I don't think Charles enjoyed being unmarried. He waited less than a year between the death of his first wife and his marriage to his second. He waited even less time between the death of the second and his marriage to the third five months later. I do wonder how he and his last two wives met. Neither appear to have any pre-existing familial, religious or geographic connection to Charles.<br />
<br />
If there is one ancestor I never get tired of researching, it is Charles. He turns left when I expect him to turn right, and has a track record of making bold choices. I've reached a point where nothing concerning Charles would surprise me. For all I know, there could be an entirely new chapter of Charles' life out there waiting for me to find.Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-8807918191458407982014-12-01T12:00:00.000-08:002014-12-01T12:00:02.749-08:00Still HenrichI was excited to <a href="http://www.staatsofohio.com/?p=2950">recently learn from this post</a> that Stark Co., Ohio land records are online and freely available. I was quickly able to find my third great-grandfather, Henry Michael Berger and some other possible relations.<br />
<br />
The Bergers followed the German tradition of going by their middle names, though Michael never fully dropped his first name, which was originally Henrich. When the family arrived in the US in 1832, they all also Americanized their names. I never thought much more about it until I saw Michael's signature when he sold his land in 1838:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrn7TGT7xvoiwaV3Koj0HuDEo0GDWmdN_Bg0IhePWF-9MIhPRyudyOcTtWsRQMsn_61gK863T0VDu61rwisv5jqv5rwX8HaKpY0fWyKpA6SuaWm1leC1N7I41lfFzt-X6yOnukACIWxw1/s1600/Berger+Matz+1838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrn7TGT7xvoiwaV3Koj0HuDEo0GDWmdN_Bg0IhePWF-9MIhPRyudyOcTtWsRQMsn_61gK863T0VDu61rwisv5jqv5rwX8HaKpY0fWyKpA6SuaWm1leC1N7I41lfFzt-X6yOnukACIWxw1/s1600/Berger+Matz+1838.jpg" height="166" width="400" /></a></div>
Although the quality isn't great, it is pretty clear that Michael didn't alter his signature from Henrich to Henry - and he signed it in German script no less! Michael was nearly forty when he arrived here, so it makes sense that he wouldn't update his signature. I do wonder, though, if it changed much in the nearly forty years that he did live in the US.<br />
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This record also answers a question I had about Michael's wife, Fredericka. In the 1860 US Census, she is marked as being unable to read or write. I've wondered how illiterate she really was (Did it just extend to the English language? Could she read and write German? Could she sign her name?) and her mark here appears to clear that up.<br />
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<br />Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-60939468570733702982014-11-24T14:00:00.000-08:002014-11-24T14:00:00.756-08:0010 Genealogical MysteriesThese are the mysteries in my family tree that I think are the most readily solvable. These mysteries aren't all that big, but sometimes it is the smaller, seemingly solvable "?" which yield the biggest returns. (This post was inspired by <a href="http://onerhodeislandfamily.com/2014/10/17/my-top-ten-genea-mysteries/">this one</a> at One Rhode Island Family.)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. Charles S. Wood (1842 - ?)</div>
<div>
When and where did Charles die? This question bugs me to no end. I can "guestimate" that he died between 1910 and 1920. When his wife died in October of 1910, he was the informant. I have not been able to find him in the 1920 US Census and indeed, his son had taken over the family farm by 1915. He apparently did not die in Michigan, where he lived for over thirty years, or in Missouri where two of his brothers lived. He also does not appear to have died in Ontario, where he had family, or British Columbia, where his sister lived. Charles had family in New York, but so far I haven't been able to find a death record or obituary for him there either.</div>
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So where do I look from here? I still want to explore New York some more as well as Kansas (his family lived on the Missouri side of Kansas City) and Iowa, where his son briefly lived in the 1910s. For a long shot, he also had a brother and nephews who had mining interests in Colorado and New Mexico and a niece who lived in Alberta. I also want to know if Charles left a probate file in Michigan (I haven't been able to find one yet) which should give a notation of when and where he died.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
2. and 3. Niels Christian Nielsen (1850 - 1940) & Engeline Christine Petersen (1855-1932)<br />
I'd like US arrival records for these two. I believe Niels arrived between 1872 - 1874 and Engeline around 1871. They were married in Oak Harbor, Ottawa, Ohio in 1874 and moved to Mt. Eden, Alameda, California not long after.<br />
<br />
I plan on getting Niels' naturalization record (he naturalized on 15 July 1881 in Alameda Superior Court) but I don't expect much information. Beyond that, I really don't know what to do. I have done broad name and date searches and found nothing. I feel like these records ought to exist, but maybe they just don't...<br />
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4. Martha Wadd (Tock) (1823 - 1861)<br />
I'd really like a death date and location for Martha. Family story says that Martha died when her daughter, Emma, was two. Emma was born in January of 1859, which makes a calculated date of 1861 for Martha.<br />
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Exploring cemetery records for Calais, Washington, Maine/St, Stephen, Charlotte, New Brunswick is my first order of business. After that, all I can think of would be church records.<br />
<br />
5. Aaron and Mary Paulina Doyle (? - ?)<br />
When Peter Doyle died during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Erie">Siege of Fort Erie</a> his children: Heman, Aaron and Mary Paulina, became eligible for, and received, a pension. I know nothing about what happened to Aaron and Mary Paulina after this. Aaron might have been adopted by a family in the neighborhood, the Nobles, but I'm not sure. The children's mother remarried a few years after Peter's death and left Vermont not long after that, eventually settling in Wisconsin. Heman doesn't appear to have traveled with the family further west than New York so I wonder if his brother and sister also stayed behind.<br />
<br />
I just need to explore New York records, particularly in the Buffalo and Rochester areas. I also need to explore a candidate Aaron Doyle who lived in Bristol, New York.<br />
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6. John W. Wyman (ca. 1775 - 1843)<br />
John Wyman was the attorney who handled my 5th great-grandmother's (Charlotte Clara Smith) messy divorce. Not long after it was final, the two married. They seem to have been very happy together and Charlotte's children and grandchildren appear to have thought very highly and lovingly of him. Although I'm not related to John, I'd really like to learn more about him. What adds to my interest is that John's nephew, Capt. John W. Patterson, married a niece of Charlotte's (Charlotte Smith Mott).<br />
<br />
A John William Patterson was born in 1806 in Northborough, Massachusetts to James Patterson and Louisa Wyman. Louisa's parents were John and Hazadiah Bowker Wyman. I'd love to find a link connecting these folks with my John Wyman. I have several avenues, but I'm most excited to explore the Worcester Co. probate files coming online (ever so slowly).<br />
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7. Josiah Beam ( 1811 - aft. 1901)<br />
Add this to the list of ancestors I can't find death information for. Online family trees have him dying in 1905, but I can find nothing to corroborate this. What is odd is that I can't find a death or cemetery record for him in Ontario and I've never found even hint of him leaving Canada.<br />
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Josiah had family in Ohio and Michigan in addition to Canada. I need to do a broader search for him in those places. His name is also easily misspelled, which is something else I need to be aware of. I also need to contact the cemetery in Ontario where his family is interred to see if they have any records pertaining to him.<br />
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8. Joseph Allen (ca. 1824 - aft. 1880)<br />
Joseph lived in little Weathersfield Twp. in Trumbull County, Ohio for many years. As far as I knew, he was always a farm hand and never farm owner. That is until I found a list of persons losing their land due to delinquent taxes in <i>The Western Reserve Chronicle</i> from 1872. The only Joseph Allens in Weathersfield in the 1870 US Census are my Joseph and his eighteen-year-old son, Joseph T.<br />
<br />
I think it likely one these Joseph Allens was the person on that list, and more probably the older of the two. I'm planning on exploring land records some more in the hopes of learning more.<br />
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9. The Tock Sisters<br />
I know very little about the early years for Mary Elizabeth (1849 - 1935), Martha Ann (1854 - 1875), Sarah Jane (1857 - 1898), and Emma Sophia (1859 - 1928). I think after their mother's death (see #4 above) they went into different households. The four girls never appear in a census all together, with Emma missing from both the 1860/1861 and 1870/1871 Census enumerations.<br />
<br />
The girls that do appear in these census years are living with some member of the Harris family in Calais, Maine/St. Stephen, New Brunswick. I'd really like to know what the connection was between these two families. Family story goes that Emma was born while her mother was visiting family in New Brunswick - would this be the Harris family?<br />
<br />
I need to explore the Harris/Barnes/Temple family some more, especially in British records.<br />
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10. Orange County, North Carolina<br />
One thing has become abundantly clear in looking at my DNA results: I have some sort of connection with many of the Quaker families who were located in the Orange Co. area of North Carolina. Some of those families also relocated to the Orange Co. area of Indiana, where my mysterious Masons and Webbs were.<br />
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Finding the connection(s) involves a lot of early 19th Century and earlier research, which isn't the easiest but still doable. I think probate files and land records in North Carolina and Indiana should be my first look. I already have taken the FAN approach and have some candidate people/families in particular I'm going to look at first.</div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-76749948943673667892014-11-08T06:00:00.000-08:002014-11-08T06:00:05.308-08:00Surname Saturday: McFaddenI'm not related to the McFaddens but their close relationship with my Wood family makes think there is a deeper family connection, namely that they originated in the same location in Scotland or Ireland before both families came to Canada in the mid-1850s.<br />
<br />
I do know that before the Wood family came to Canada, they were in County Cavan, Ireland. For how many generations and from which town specifically, I do not know.<br />
<br />
James McFadden was born around 1825 in Ireland. He married Margaret Ragan, who was born around 1823 in Ireland. James and Margaret had three known children:<br />
<ul>
<li>Margaret, born ca. 1858. "Maggie" married Alexander Wood in Wolverton, Blenheim, Oxford, Ontario, Canada on 5 January 1876. The family was in Medina, Orleans, New York at the time of the 1880 US Census. However, they returned to Canada and Margaret died in Chinquacoury, Peel, Ontario on 2 September 1886. Margaret and Alexander had three known children: Helen Beatrice Wood (Cawston), Arthur William Wood and James Alexander Wood (who was born and died in 1886).</li>
<li>Mary Ellen, born 10 December 1859 in Blenheim. Mary Ellen married John Morton in Blenheim on 28 May 1884. The family resided in the Ayr Twp. area of Waterloo, Ontario. They had the following: Norman Wood, Margaret Smith Wood (Stonehouse), and Elizabeth Annabella Morton (Babcock). Following John Morton's death, Mary Ellen married secondly William Wood. This second marriage was brief as William died in 1926. Mary Ellen returned to Ayr and died there on 4 November 1936.</li>
<li>Dorinda, born April 1865. Dorinda is living with her future brother-in-law, William Wood's family in Lockport, Niagara, New York at the time of the 1900 US Census. Dorinda would marry Stephen Loads and live in Medina until her death on 30 October 1937.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Perhaps I'm grasping at straws, but I do feel like learning where the McFadden and Ragan families originated from will help me in my Wood family research. In any event, if anyone knows anything about the origins of any of these families, I'd love to know.</div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-55801976749471517522014-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:002014-11-07T06:00:04.697-08:00Damie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEVOyt7qRzvfrRo8m6MIfI-HzC7xcoWIe5TZbpJeWrra2FYXWIZ9tOlDYALhKnw8vigsWrgMdxDC5TrGczV8f92nsVlEdIlPLGsiEXSFmTm14Dj6GamZxqqoiJ_YNfJV0dmOHYG8CAAr0/s1600/Beam,+Didame+(Wood)%2BIsabellaEnterprise%2B17May1895%2Bp5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEVOyt7qRzvfrRo8m6MIfI-HzC7xcoWIe5TZbpJeWrra2FYXWIZ9tOlDYALhKnw8vigsWrgMdxDC5TrGczV8f92nsVlEdIlPLGsiEXSFmTm14Dj6GamZxqqoiJ_YNfJV0dmOHYG8CAAr0/s1600/Beam,+Didame+(Wood)%2BIsabellaEnterprise%2B17May1895%2Bp5.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
I've seen many spellings for her name: Didame, Dedamia, Diadimia, etc. But, she seems to have been known as 'Damie' to her friends and family. Though, to my second-great-grandmother, she would have been known simply as 'mother.'</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Recently, I was lucky enough to find an obituary for Damie. I say lucky because I really wasn't expecting to find anything at all. Damie died in 1895, when obituaries offering any biographical information weren't usually given for a farmer's wife in rural Michigan.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Mrs. Chas. S. Wood of Rolland, died on Tuesday, May 7, 1895, after a very [s]evere illness from cancer of seven months duration. Damie Beam was born in Oxford county, Ontario, September 10, 1851, and was married to Mr. Wood March 3, 1870, and with him came to Oakland county fourteen years ago, and four years later they moved to Rolland, this county. She leaves a devoted husband, two daughters, four sons and three grand-children to mourn her untimely death. Mr. Wood wishes to return thanks to his neighbors and [f]riends for their many kindnesses dur[i]ng his great trial." From the Isabella County Enterprise, 17 May 1895, page 5.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Damie also had a father, Josiah, who survived her as well as numerous siblings - most all of whom still lived in Canada. Among those three grandchildren who survived her was my great-grandfather, Joseph J. Allen.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For anyone wondering where I found this, it is thanks to <a href="http://condor.cmich.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/isactyent">Central Michigan University's CONDOR</a>, which has issues of the Isabella County Enterprise up to 1927 online and freely searchable. </div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-39758721827444639932014-09-30T06:00:00.000-07:002014-09-30T06:00:02.407-07:00SixI'm actually pretty impressed that this blog has been around six years - eons in internet time. As the years go by, I seem to have less and less time for posting and never enough time for genealogy research - but I still love both, even more so than I did six years ago.<br />
<br />
This space doesn't really reflect all the research I've done over the past year, and it has been plentiful. One project in particular, which is still ongoing, has been quite the journey. I'm not at the end of the road yet, but when I'm done I look forward to writing about it here. No matter the outcome, I am grateful for the experience because I've been forced to look in some really unconventional places for records, break out of my research comfort zone (on numerous occasions), and order records I really wasn't sure I wanted (because of what I knew would be in them). In short, I really feel like I've faced my "genealogy fears" this year.<br />
<br />
Some other pretty excellent things have happened this year, including: finding a newspaper clipping which mentions where my great-great-grandparents honeymooned; getting my great-grandfather's military record from Italy; the Pennsylvania death certificates being added to Ancestry; uploading my father's 23andMe results to FamilyTreeDNA; and more than anything else, learning the names of my great-grandmother's parents, Matteo D'Accia and Maria Mattia Di Milo (I just love being able to write that).<br />
<br />
I could set goals and plans and say I'll post here more, but I really can't promise that. Instead it is enough, for now, to know this space is here. In the meantime I still love reading all the other genealogy blogs out there, gaining inspiration and insights I wouldn't have without them. To anyone still reading here, thank you, and if you have a genealogy blog of your own, chances are I'm happily following.<br />
<ol>
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Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-5907878046830504392014-07-13T06:00:00.000-07:002014-07-13T06:00:02.327-07:00128 GreatsI've lately refocused some more attention on the genetic aspect of genealogy. It is just as fascinating, impressive, frustrating and confusing as ever. Since most of my matches are around the 5th cousin mark, I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of my 128 4th great-grandparents and where they lived in terms of current geography (these are mostly my ancestors alive in the 18th Century):<br />
<br />
<b><u>Paternal:</u></b><br />
Allan/Allen (Scotland or Ireland)<br />
Beam (New Jersey, USA; Ontario, Canada after Revolutionary War)<br />
Bell (New Jersey, USA; Ontario, Canada after Revolutionary War)<br />
Boon (Somerset, England)<br />
Clements (Ireland)<br />
Croad (Dorset, England)<br />
D'Accia (likely Puglia, Italy)<br />
Di Milo (likely Puglia, Italy)<br />
Gibbons (Dorset, England)<br />
Horton (Ontario, Canada; likely New York, USA pre-Revolutionary War)<br />
Lapiccirella (likely Puglia, Italy)<br />
Montgomery (N. Ireland)<br />
Old (Dorset, England)<br />
Rendle (Dorset or Somerset, England)<br />
Rogers (Dorset, England)<br />
Scarano (likely Puglia, Italy)<br />
Shepstone/Shipton/Shipston (Somerset, England)<br />
Shoe/Shew (Somerset, England)<br />
Stokes (Somerset, England)<br />
Tizzard/Tyzzard/Tissard (Dorset, England)<br />
Williamson (N. Ireland)<br />
Wood (Ireland, N. Ireland)<br />
<br />
That is 22 names out of a possible 64. Of those 42 unknowns, 28 are from my Italian grandmother's side.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Maternal:</u></b><br />
Asay (New Jersey, USA)<br />
Barger/Berger (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany)<br />
Brunner (Canton Bern, Switzerland)<br />
Buhler (Canton Bern, Switzerland)<br />
Chapple/Chaple/Chappel (likely Virginia, USA)<br />
Collins (Rhode Island to Massachusetts to Vermont to New York, USA)<br />
Doyle (unknown, Vermont, USA as of 1810)<br />
Ellis (Nova Scotia, Canada)<br />
Gibson (Lincolnshire, England)<br />
Haley/Healy/Healey (Nova Scotia, Canada)<br />
Harris (Virginia, USA)<br />
Herbert (New Jersey, USA)<br />
Hilton (Nova Scotia, Canada)<br />
Hudson (Virginia, USA)<br />
Jackman (New Hampshire, USA)<br />
Leet/Leete (unknown, Indiana, USA by 1820)<br />
Lester/Luster/Laster/Louster (likely Virginia, USA)<br />
Kupper/Kupher (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany)<br />
Mason (unknown, likely North Carolina, USA)<br />
Matz (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany)<br />
Mott (New York, USA)<br />
Nielsen (unknown, Denmark or Germany)<br />
Petersen (unknown, Denmark or Germany)<br />
Rose (New York, USA)<br />
Schmoker (Canton Bern, Switzerland)<br />
Scott (Nova Scotia, Canada)<br />
Shinn (New Jersey, USA)<br />
Smith x2 (New York, USA)<br />
Swena/Swaney/Sweeney (Connecticut, USA)<br />
Tock (Lincolnshire, England)<br />
vonAllmen (Canton Bern, Switzerland)<br />
Wadd (Lincolnshire, England)<br />
Webb (unknown, Indiana, USA by 1820)<br />
Wellons/Wellens (Virginia, USA)<br />
<br />
That is 35 out of a possible 64. In all, 57 of a total 128 surnames are thought to be known. I'm hoping to update this as I make breakthroughs.<br />
<br />
One thing that has become clear is that I made a huge false assumption with many of my matches. Oddly, the majority of my matches have always been centered in the southern portion of the US. Since I only have, on paper, one maternal great-grandparent with southern roots, I always thought these matches were through her line. However, when I recently uploaded my father's 23andMe results to FamilyTreeDNA, I was surprised to see that many of those matches were actually also matches of his. I certainly have my work cut out for me - good thing it is such fun "work!"Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-69626717477074506102014-07-11T11:00:00.000-07:002014-07-11T11:00:05.156-07:0052 Ancestors: Dr. Albert J. Berger (#15)If you look at my family tree you'll see mostly farmers and field hands, some factory workers, miners, and a couple ministers. But, as far as I have yet found, only one medical doctor - and that would be Albert Jacob Berger. Albert, in addition to his interesting career, also led an interesting life - beginning with his birth.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Early Life</u></b><br />
Albert was born near Essen, Germany on 4 December, 1877. His parents, Americans by birth, were there doing missionary work for the German Evangelical Association (related to the Methodist Church). Albert was the fourth of John W. and Susanna vonAllmen Berger's ten known children.<br />
<br />
When he was about a year old, the family returned to their native Indiana and settled in South Bend in time for the 1880 US Census. Three years later the family again moved, this time to Wabash.<br />
<br />
When Albert was about ten the family left Indiana. Albert's father's health was failing so they relocated to Los Angeles, California. For whatever reason, Los Angeles proved to be unsuitable and the family again moved after two years. Arriving in Oakland around 1890, the family finally found a place to put down roots. However, one important member of the family would not be around to see the Bergers prosper in their new home. Albert's father died a few days after Albert's fourteenth birthday.<br />
<br />
The next record I have for Albert is the 1895 Oakland city directory, in which he still living at the family home and is a student. Two years later, Albert is at the same address but working as a clerk for H. D. Kellogg & Co. (a drug store).<br />
<br />
On 17 June, 1898, President McKinley signed into law a bill establishing a US Navy Hospital Corps. That same day, Albert enlisted to serve in the Spanish-American War. I know from a newspaper article that he was sent to the Philippines but I know nothing beyond that. He left the Hospital Corps a year later, in 1899. In 1925 Albert applied for, and received, a pension for this service.<br />
<br />
Albert continues to appear in Oakland city directories (and the 1900 US Census) at the same address. By the time of the 1902 directory, Albert is again listed as a student and this time I know what he was studying.<br />
<br />
In 1904 Albert graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of San Francisco. Around 1907, Albert became the proprietor of Hornung's Pharmacy (later it became just his office) in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Later Life</u></b><br />
The later years of Albert's life are less known to me and information is rather spotty to find. In 1910, Albert is enumerated in San Francisco along with a wife, Minnie, who he had married in 1905. I have no other information on Minnie, or this marriage.<br />
<br />
The next decade or so Albert spent as the ship surgeon for various steamships travelling the Pacific. What time he spent in the US, seems to have been back in Oakland. I find no other mention of Minnie and by 1925, Albert is married to Alma. Also around this time, Albert and Alma relocated back to San Francisco. Albert would spend the last years of his life there, dying from chronic bronchitis on 10 February, 1934. His obituary mentions that he was a member of the Nelson A. Miles Camp No. 10, U.S.W.V. (United Spanish War Veterans) of San Francisco.<br />
<br />
<b><u>To Find</u></b><br />
There are some records and information related to Albert I'd like to find:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>His marriage records to both Minnie and Alma</li>
<li>A record of him in both the 1920 and 1930 US Census</li>
<li>His pension application (NARA doesn't have it so I'll have to do a FOIA request to the VA)</li>
<li>Information on the Nelson A. Miles Camp No. 10</li>
<li>His death record</li>
<li>Burial location (I want to know if he is with his parents in the Berger plot at Mountain View Cemetery)</li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.790000915527344px;">(This is an entry in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge hosted by </span><a href="http://www.nostorytoosmall.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #00376d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.790000915527344px; text-decoration: none;">No Story Too Small</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.790000915527344px;">)</span></div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-76761130453618213272014-07-08T06:00:00.000-07:002014-07-08T06:00:02.652-07:0052 Ancestors: Florence P. Berger (#14)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLupbBQeqpoaMKxHcSABUWxvC80jNKSAtJnsG2t2NYQ8yMNsQSKW2IEnHuyQy7fsRxee2l9GK0hL1So1rzUwRysaReqL0UOeJcPG-IfDF42_rsM-bpe54TwbbkOnX4Dbj8Zukq56qGqvO/s1600/BergerCrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLupbBQeqpoaMKxHcSABUWxvC80jNKSAtJnsG2t2NYQ8yMNsQSKW2IEnHuyQy7fsRxee2l9GK0hL1So1rzUwRysaReqL0UOeJcPG-IfDF42_rsM-bpe54TwbbkOnX4Dbj8Zukq56qGqvO/s1600/BergerCrop.jpg" height="293" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L-R: Susanna vonAllmen Berger, Gideon G. Berger<br />
and Florence P. Berger. Circa 1917, Oakland, CA.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I first began researching my family tree I asked my grandmother for information on her branches. Among the things she told me was that her father's sister, Florence, had been dropped as an infant and was mentally handicapped because of it. <br />
<br />
Whether this is true or not, I do not know. I do think Florence did have some sort of handicap however. Family members always mentioned Florence in letters. The tone paints a picture of Florence as a kind, thoughtful and well loved family member, albeit one who seems to be treated/referred to in a very childlike manner.<br />
<br />
<u><b>BIRTH</b></u><br />
Florence was born in Los Angeles, California on 11 June, 1890. She was the youngest of John W. and Susanna vonAllmen Berger's ten known children. Her family had come to the area a few years earlier due to John's poor health. Not long after Florence's birth, the family moved north, to Oakland, Alameda, California where they remained. Florence's father died there when Florence was a year and a half old.<br />
<br />
<b><u>CENSUS</u></b><br />
When Florence was nine, she was enumerated in the 1900 US Census. She was living in Oakland with her mother and siblings and was attending school. <br />
<br />
Ten years later, in the 1910 US Census, Florence is still living with her mother, as well as her brother Jesse, and sister, Madeline, in Oakland. Florence is enumerated as being able to read and write.<br />
<br />
Still in Oakland in 1920, Florence's brother Jesse, has become the head of the household. Their mother, Susanna, is also still living with them. The household is the same in 1930 as well.<br />
<br />
In 1940, Florence has moved to nearby Berkeley and is living with her sister, Madeline, and nephew. The box for highest education level is left blank for Florence.<br />
<br />
<b><u>LIFE EVENTS</u></b><br />
Florence's 41st birthday was a memorable one, though for a sad reason. Her mother, Susanna, died on that day in 1932.<br />
<br />
Unlike Florence's siblings and mother, she never seems to have registered to vote. She also never seems to have had an occupation, and appears sporadically through city directories. She also appears to have not lived on her own.<br />
<br />
Florence died in Alameda County, California on 11 August 1962. Where specifically and from what, I do not know.<br />
<br />
There are many things about Florence I would like to know. Ordering her death certificate would probably answer some of these questions, but I am waiting to see if Alameda Co. death records get released online first (Alameda Co. vital records are very expensive).<br />
<br />
Also on my list is calling Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland to see if she is buried in the Berger family plot there.<br />
<br />
(This is an entry in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge hosted by <a href="http://www.nostorytoosmall.com/">No Story Too Small</a>)Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-34892032573936734602014-07-02T06:00:00.000-07:002014-07-02T06:00:09.385-07:00Nineteen Years in Probate Court<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMrZd1v5Djz7QciBUlsQMY2w0RMGT98ejMK4JLoC8wYcfOJVd_lkBDOYXvzsWALVSyECMHLABbKjgzZiWl4xLAeO1R8t_Srze6RFhEYJe4Bs4egofTYnpw4MYOahgs9eC-BwJKjKF382t/s1600/Berger,+John+W+Estate+ProbateCourt+SFChron+13Apr1909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMrZd1v5Djz7QciBUlsQMY2w0RMGT98ejMK4JLoC8wYcfOJVd_lkBDOYXvzsWALVSyECMHLABbKjgzZiWl4xLAeO1R8t_Srze6RFhEYJe4Bs4egofTYnpw4MYOahgs9eC-BwJKjKF382t/s1600/Berger,+John+W+Estate+ProbateCourt+SFChron+13Apr1909.jpg" height="320" width="286" /></a></div>
"NINETEEN YEARS IN COURT TOO LONG, SAYS JUDGE<br />
<br />
"OAKLAND, April 12. -- Nineteen years in the Probate Court is too long, declared Judge Ogden to-day, as he mildly censured Mrs. Susanna Berger, widow of John Berger, and administratix of his estate, because the matter had not been closed up more quickly.<br />
<br />
"'I am not satisfied with your administration of this estate,' said Judge Ogden, 'I am not going to criticise you for I have not heard enough about the matter. The children, heirs in the estate, may have consented to these delays."<br />
<br />
"Judge Ogden, however, refused to confirm one sale in the estate, continuing the matter a week for investigation."<br />
<br />
The woman Judge Ogden "mildly censured" was my great-great-grandmother, Susanna vonAllmen Berger. I'd love to know why the estate spent as long as it did in probate, but I'm a little scared of what I'll find: a mammoth sized file which will cost a small fortune to get. I guess I should start saving my pennies...<br />
<br />
The above article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on 13 April 1908 on page 8.Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-79190356414955817572014-06-30T06:00:00.000-07:002014-06-30T06:00:02.861-07:00Discoveries Yet to MakeIn terms of genealogical breakthroughs, this past year or so has been by far the best. In particular, I've broken through my two most nagging "brick walls," by learning the parents of Heman Doyle and (most satisfying of all) my great-grandmother, Maria Nicola "Nicoletta" D'Accia. All of these wonderful developments have made me re-evaluate what mysteries I am still wanting to solve:<br />
<br />
<b><u>Paternal</u></b><br />
<b>Allen</b>, Joseph. There is so much I want to learn - his birthplace and parents names in particular.<br />
<b>Clemen(t)s</b>, Elizabeth. Unlike her husband above, I know the names of Elizabeth's parents. However, that is about all I know.<br />
<b>Wood</b>, Charles S. I know a lot about Charles and his family - I just can't find a date and place of death for him. I'm thinking he died sometime between 1910 and 1915. However, I have yet to find a death or cemetery record for him in Michigan. I'm planning on expanding my search to Ontario and British Columbia, Canada and the US states of New York and Missouri - all places where Charles had family members.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Maternal</u></b><br />
<b>Berger</b>. I came across a newspaper articles wherein a Judge admonished my great-great-grandmother for allowing her husband's probate case to remain open for over nineteen years. I've been itching for a copy of that record ever since (although I know it will be huge and likely very expensive).<br />
<b>Mason</b>, Priscilla. So many leads, so many random possible clues, so much I don't know... Everything about Priscilla from before her marriage is unknown to me. Priscilla is where my direct maternal line (mother's mother's mother's, etc.) ends, making it especially important to me to solve this mystery.<br />
<b>Mott</b>, Jacob Coles. I know there was a probate file for him. Unfortunately, it was misplaced at some point and never found - and that is incredibly irritating to me.<br />
<b>Nielsen</b>, Niels Christian. His parents and birthplace as well as year of arrival in the US, are completely unknown to me. I'd also like to have a copy of his naturalization record.<br />
<b>Petersen</b>, Engeline Christine. Same as her husband Niels above.<br />
<b>Wadd</b>, Martha. When Martha's youngest daughter was "about two," Martha died. I want some more concrete information than that.<br />
<b>Webb</b>, Martin. What I do know about Martin is thanks to census records and his will. Where did Martin come from before showing up in Indiana in 1820? Who were his parents? When was he born, married and died - and where? Was his wife's maiden name really Leet(s)?<br />
<br />
This list is by no means complete. The above are merely the mysteries bugging me the most. Now to pick a starting point...Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-32207669225879624962014-04-29T15:00:00.000-07:002014-04-29T15:00:03.802-07:0052 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Comfort G. Healey (#13)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNBR6p88GunrufBFmGa8sOurWfqvvg71JYZZdUhYSrzSu_2x7S5EnpOkLkyphzlQMR7Jmp9Q0jqzPnSbWvL_fa3YMX9WpUQi4fPChiRLx1sZ1nDzGF2iaOBBprfKvNRz6dikaKX6aMpjH/s1600/Comfort+Healey+1838-1910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNBR6p88GunrufBFmGa8sOurWfqvvg71JYZZdUhYSrzSu_2x7S5EnpOkLkyphzlQMR7Jmp9Q0jqzPnSbWvL_fa3YMX9WpUQi4fPChiRLx1sZ1nDzGF2iaOBBprfKvNRz6dikaKX6aMpjH/s1600/Comfort+Healey+1838-1910.jpg" height="320" width="194" /></a>(My entry in the 52 Ancestors in <a href="http://www.nostorytoosmall.com/">52 Weeks Challenge</a>)<br />
<br />
I have hesitated to do challenge entries on ancestors I know quite a bit about because I simply have not had the time to write long biographies (or do the research and pulling of files that go along with it). Case in point, my Haley/Healey/Healys. There is a lot out there on this family, as well as <a href="https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE1978696">a wonderful book</a>. But, I think this not writing about them has been a disservice to these lines. The point of this exercise to get information of any quantity out there. I'd also love to be contacted concerning my Healeys, Healys, or Haleys (just as much as any of my brick wall people), and that won't happen if I don't write about them and put information out there to be found by others! <br />
<br />
So, even though you don't have to hunt far to find a lot on Comfort, I want to write about him. However, because basic biographical information is plentiful, I'm writing about other (not so well known) things concerning him:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>If you search for information on him, be sure to search for him as Comfort, Comfort G. or C. G. with the last names of Haley, Healy or Healey. That is nine different name combinations in case you were wondering. Oh, and sometimes the G. is erroneously written or transcribed as a C. </li>
<li>The initial G. seems to be a Harry S. Truman situation. I have no idea why he adopted that particular letter.</li>
<li>Before his marriage to Mary G. S. Mott, he was briefly married to a Mary Ann Williams in Alameda Co., California in 1864. I wish I knew more about Mary Ann, like whatever happened to her after her marriage.</li>
<li>Comfort briefly lived in Monterey Co., California. A Comfort Healey was in Alisal (now Salinas) at the time of the 1860 US Census.</li>
<li>Comfort was enumerated in the 1910 US Census, even though he had actually died six days before the enumerator came to his house. The reason for this is that he was still alive on April 15, the cut off date (he died five days later).</li>
<li>He was close to 6 ft. tall, with a fair complexion and blue eyes.</li>
<li>Comfort died five months after the death of his daughter, Stella Therese. Her death was a hard blow to the family and probably hastened his death from cancer of the face and head.</li>
<li>Comfort became a citizen of the United States on October 18, 1864. His place of naturalization is given as either "San Leandro" or "Alameda Co.," or "Alameda, 3rd Judicial District." His father and brothers naturalized at around the same time.</li>
<li>Many of Comfort's neighbors in Alameda Co. were neighbors and relatives from back in Nova Scotia. His property was also near the local school, whose teacher, Miss Mott, he would go on to marry.</li>
<li>After many years of living in what is now the Fremont area of Alameda County, Comfort moved to San Francisco around 1904. His addresses in the city were: 608 Shotwell (until about 1906), 3322 20th (until about 1909) and finally 2436 Folsom. All three residences are a brief walk from one another and in what is known as the Mission District (one of the few neighborhoods that did not burn down during the 1906 earthquake).</li>
<li>Comfort was cremated and interred in the Odd Fellow's Cemetery in San Francisco. He was eventually moved to Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, San Mateo, California and is <a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=healey&GSiman=1&GScid=1091398&GRid=107673621&">buried in the family plot there</a>.</li>
<li>The only time I've ever gotten a postal money order was so that I could order Comfort's death certificate from San Francisco. Like everything else concerning San Francisco, it was very expensive.</li>
</ul>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-70985495643565092972014-04-21T06:00:00.000-07:002014-04-21T06:00:10.419-07:00Revisiting Pennsylvania Death CertificatesAlthough most of my Pennsylvania connections had long ended by 1906, I've been eager to check out <a href="http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=5164">the death certificates recently uploaded by Ancestry</a>. The one certificate I did order from the Dept. of Health a few years ago was of horrible quality. I was expecting more of the same, but lo and behold:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkZt8Gd5chWg8algSROCvOBy7qVUQ75xwwTUkPoZ4m4h5fGFddUgs-rAItIdf1gZ7RCR5_Jy4UT1h8NlDUnaNFDOqf68DyUsN9UF9oNJ10iTYnuUBhyphenhyphen_9eYfMnbdMxIQ74mBiwgdMum7E/s1600/41381_646933_0659-02445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkZt8Gd5chWg8algSROCvOBy7qVUQ75xwwTUkPoZ4m4h5fGFddUgs-rAItIdf1gZ7RCR5_Jy4UT1h8NlDUnaNFDOqf68DyUsN9UF9oNJ10iTYnuUBhyphenhyphen_9eYfMnbdMxIQ74mBiwgdMum7E/s1600/41381_646933_0659-02445.jpg" height="601" width="640" /></a></div>
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The above is the same certificate I had previously ordered, though this time I can actually read it! <br />
(<i>The certificate has several errors: Joseph wasn't born in Niles, Trumbull, Ohio but Lawrence Co., Pennsylvania. His mother's name was Elizabeth Clemen(t)s and the Margaret Murray listed was actually Joseph's late wife. Joseph had lived in Ohio most of his life but died in Sharon while visiting his daughter.</i>)<br />
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My skepticism has been banished! If you also ordered through the Pennsylvania Dept. of Health and were disappointed, give Ancestry's new collection a try - you might be pleasantly surprised.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Note: I have no affiliation whatsoever with Ancestry.com or any other persons, websites or companies under the Ancestry.com umbrella.</span></i>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-68620240689171132272014-04-05T22:00:00.000-07:002014-04-05T22:00:00.389-07:0052 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Rebecca Chappel(My current entry in the <a href="http://www.nostorytoosmall.com/">52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge</a>)<br />
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Rebecca Chappel's last name might have Chaple or Chapple, or maybe Chappelle, or it could be Chapele or it might be Chapell... and on it goes. I've also seen Rebecca spelled Rebekah. Point is, I know next to nothing about Rebecca.<br />
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Rebecca was probably born in Virginia, either present-day Virginia or present-day Kentucky. The first record of Rebecca is her marriage record to Henry Wellons (spelled 'Willons') on December 8, 1801 in Pulaski County, Kentucky.<br />
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I don't know exactly how many children Henry and Rebecca had. A Henry 'Weldon' was enumerated in Somerset, Pulaski, Kentucky in 1810. There was one man and one woman between the ages of 26 and 44 (presumably Henry and Rebecca) and five people (two boys and three girls) under the age of sixteen.<br />
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The only other census Rebecca was alive for was the 1820. The Henry 'Willings' household in Somerset, consisted of eight white people. There were four girls under twenty-five and two boys under fifteen. There was also one man and one woman over the age of forty-five (Henry and Rebecca).<br />
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Rebecca was dead by 1826 (the year Henry remarried). Interestingly Henry and his new wife named their daughter Rebecca.<br />
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There are candidates for Rebecca's family. A James Chapple appears on an 1800 Pulaski Co. tax list (and was still there in 1810). There were also some marriages of note in Pulaski Co.: Nancy Chappel to John Emerson in 1805, Kizah Chapel to John Wood in 1806, and Elizabeth Chapell to William Wood in 1805. I believe all these people are in some way connected to Rebecca but proof is still elusive.<br />
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Rebecca's son, John Chappel Wellons, was my third great-grandfather.Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-22071228104268391612014-03-23T22:00:00.000-07:002014-03-23T22:00:02.080-07:0052 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Engeline Christine Petersen(This week's entry in <a href="http://www.nostorytoosmall.com/">the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge</a>)<br />
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Engeline was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany on 9 March 1855. The next nineteen years of Engeline's life are a complete mystery to me. On 30 May, 1874 <a href="https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-17957-499-53?cc=1614804">Engeline married Niels Christian Nielsen</a> by Rev. Julius Bauch at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oak Harbor, Ottawa, Ohio.<br />
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Very soon after their marriage Engeline and Niels moved west. Their daughter, Katherine, was born in Mt. Eden, Alameda, California in November of 1875. Another daughter, Caroline, was born in 1879.<br />
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At the time of the 1880 US Census, the family was still in Mt. Eden where Niels worked as a laborer. The following year Caroline died. Two months after Caroline's death, Engeline had another daughter, also named Caroline or Carolyn. Four years later, daughter Lillian completed the family.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpv3Q1Ym6EQZdbh6lwl1wzmKksD-G98hm51ZCj9H_fWbpVxDqDgrSBuTCpvbw1NS_Epykfz5KS3xB74cqmA3QcWOk8MndaFYemoYv4pHaHQH4_vt6ZSg0pj1wyv-gYZJSMsjtKIxiUlLy3/s1600/engelineobit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpv3Q1Ym6EQZdbh6lwl1wzmKksD-G98hm51ZCj9H_fWbpVxDqDgrSBuTCpvbw1NS_Epykfz5KS3xB74cqmA3QcWOk8MndaFYemoYv4pHaHQH4_vt6ZSg0pj1wyv-gYZJSMsjtKIxiUlLy3/s1600/engelineobit.jpg" height="320" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">29 February 1932, Oakland Tribune</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the time of the 1900 US Census, the family is still in Eden with Niels farming. It is the first time where Engeline mentions her year of arrival in the US, 1871 (the is also the year she gives in the 1910 US Census).<br />
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By 1910 the family had left Eden for the city of Alameda, where they lived at 2702 Central Ave. Niels is no longer in farming, instead he is a foreman for the salt works. In 1918, Engeline's daughter Katherine, died.<br />
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The family is still in Alameda for the 1920 US Census, living at 1508 Alameda Ave. Niels is a laborer for the city by now.<br />
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The 1930 US Census would be Engeline's last. They were living at 1626 Versailles Ave. in Alameda. Engeline died two years later.<br />
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I've actually done a good amount of research on Engeline but don't have much to show for it. I'd love to know who her parents were, where she was from, when exactly she did come to the US, why she went to Ohio, why she went to California, and any other piece of information I can gather. It isn't as if Engeline's paper trail didn't leave me a lot of clues. I just haven't been able to do much with those clues, which are:<br />
<ul>
<li>Engeline's obituary mentions two sister, Celia Catharina Petersen Claussen and Christina Patrina Petersen Strauss. I have researched them in depth. They also went to Ottawa County, Ohio before moving to Alameda Co., California. However, they arrived at later times than Engeline.</li>
<li>When Celia and her family arrived their last residence is given as Dagebüll.</li>
<li>Both Oak Harbor/Benton Twp. and Mt. Eden had thriving Danish communities at the time. It is likely that Engeline and Niels had relatives in both place. However, I have researched some of the Petersen families in Ottawa Co., Ohio and found no connection to Engeline or her sisters.</li>
<li>The cemeteries for the various family members seem to have been popular with the Scandinavian community but I haven't been able to connect any of them to Engeline or her family.</li>
</ul>
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Engeline was my third great-grandmother through her daughter, Katherine.</div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689232453246489556.post-44747040981335228142014-03-15T06:00:00.000-07:002014-03-15T06:00:02.437-07:0052 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Elizabeth Asay ShinnAnother Elizabeth I know very little about is Elizabeth Asay Shinn. Her parents were reportedly John Asay and Jane Shreve. I've also seen the name spelled Easy or Esay.<br />
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Elizabeth was born around 1785 in New Jersey. I've seen her birth location given as Springfield Twp. or Mansfield Twp., in any case she was probably born in Burlington County.<br />
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Elizabeth and John Shinn married on 1 November 1809 in Monmouth Co. The following year their first child, John Irick, was born. Elizabeth and John would go on to have nine known children in all: John Irick, Mary Anne, Charlotte, Jane, Sarah, Hannah, John R., Edith and Jacob Asay.<br />
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In 1840, Elizabeth's husband died. Elizabeth, who seems to have spent her married life (at least) in Mansfield Twp., was enumerated in the household of her daughter Hannah in Chesterfield in the 1850 US Census. By the 1860 US Census, Elizabeth was back in Mansfield living with daughter Sarah (daughter Edith lived next door). She died there in July of 1863.<br />
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<a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Shinn&GSiman=1&GScid=1713568&GRid=72273031&">Elizabeth is buried</a> in the Upper Springfield Friends Burying Ground in Wrightstown, Burlington, New Jersey.<br />
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There is a lot about Elizabeth I don't know (obviously) but I'd love to learn more. One thing in particular I've always wondered about is whether she kept in touch with her son, John R., after he went to California during the Gold Rush. It seems likely that they didn't because the only mention of John R. in the book <i><u><a href="https://archive.org/details/historyofshinnfa00shin">The History of the Shinn Family in Europe and America</a></u></i> is that he "moved to California."<br />
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Elizabeth was my 4th great-grandmother through her son, John R. Shinn.Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918752742296339994noreply@blogger.com0